A Summertime Conundrum
by adsiderum
Summary: It is the summer after Cath's first year of college and she has to deal with long-distance dating as well as a surprising turn of events. Can Cath and Levi's relationship survive the months apart?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Just like the world and characters of Simon Snow belong to Gemma T. Leslie, the world and characters of Fangirl belong to Rainbow Rowell.

* * *

**A Summertime Conundrum**

**Chapter I**

There was a boy in her room.

And Cath could not stand the pang in her stomach that she got when she looked at him.

In just one day, she knew that she and Levi would have to part their separate ways to go home during their summer vacation. Cath wasn't sure she could deal with not being able to get her fill of Levi each day.

"Why the long face, Cather?" Levi asked and sat down next to Cath on her bed.

"Do I really have to go?" she asked. Her hollow voice seemed small, even in the tiny dorm room.

"Come on, Cath," Levi grinned. "You can't like school _that_ much. No one does."

_That smile_. Cath was going to miss him so much. "Yeah, but I'm not going to be able to see you every day."

Levi wrapped his arms around Cath's waist and moved her closer. She rested her head against his chest and listened to the deep rumbling of his voice as he spoke. "I know, but I'll come see you on the weekends and… hey, maybe I could take you back to my place and you could stay with me for a while."

"Yeah… I guess."

"Trust me; you wouldn't want to have me around _all_ summer. Wouldn't you get tired of me?"

Cath covered her mouth and gasped in mock horror. "Get tired of you? Never."

They both laughed and Levi moved to get up from where he was laying. "When's your father coming to pick you up? We'd better start boxing your stuff up."

Cath sprang up. "Two o'clock," She said breathlessly. "What time is it now?"

"One thirty-seven…"

"Shit! He wanted me to be waiting for him with all of my stuff outside." Cath hadn't even started packing yet…

"Don't worry, we'll get it done." Levi opened up Cath's closet and pulled out her stack of boxes. "I'll get your books. You get your clothes."

Cath nodded and began to rapidly pull clothes off of her hangers and stuffed them into her boxes. She didn't bother to fold any or organize it in any way and neither did Levi.

Minutes later, her room was empty. Reagan had left early the day before, so not a single item still lay strewn on the floor. It was so bare. It was as if it wasn't really her room or Reagan's anymore; no different than the one next door or all the others down the hallway.

"It's too ugly without your stuff," Levi mumbled.

"…Thanks?"

Levi wrapped his arms around Cath's waist and buried his face in her hair. "I'm going to miss this place."

Cath leaned her head back and rested it on Levi's shoulder. She looked into his eyes. "Me too."

Their lips collided and Cath reveled in the feeling as the entire world seemed to disappear around them. Maybe it would be enough to get her through the next months that she would spend alone in Omaha. This time she spent with Levi, as always, was perfect.

Until Cath's phone rang. She gave Levi one last kiss on his jawline then reached into her pocket.

"Hey Cath, it's Dad. I'm right outside."

Cath placed a hand on top of her head. "I'm so sorry. I lost track of time. Just stay right there. I just need to bring some boxes down."

"Do you need any help?"

"No. Levi and I can manage. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"See you."

Cath ended the call. "You _will_ be able to stay a bit longer and help me out, right?"

"Anything for you, Cather dearest," Levi sang. And grinned. _That grin_. She stared at him until she was sure that she would never forget the way his smiles looked. She sure was going to miss him.

"I know I'm gorgeous, but let's get back to moving your boxes. I don't want your dad to have to wait any longer," Levi said.

Cath's cheeks turned red. Even though she had been dating Levi for just over two months now, she hated when he called her out for staring at him. She bend down to pick up a box and let a wave of her brown hair (Levi had begged her to leave it down for the "occasion") fall out from behind her shoulder to cover her face. And hopefully her reddening cheeks.

"Let's go," Cath agreed.

The boxes were wedged into the trunk amongst Wren's and some even overflowed into the car's backseat. Before the last two boxes were moved out, Cath and Levi snuck back up to her dorm room for one last kiss. Cath kept telling herself that, but kept making excuses for just one more.

The sun streamed in through the window, lighting up Levi's hair in a golden glow. His hands were on her waist and her fingers wrapped around his hair. It was a perfect last moment.

"When am I going to see you next?" Levi asked.

Cath smiled. "You're quick to assume that I want to do that."

Levi laughed. "Cath, you always want to see me again." Nothing could have been closer to the truth.

Cath waited expectantly for him to respond.

"In a week? Or would that be too soon?" he said at last.

"More like not soon enough."

* * *

The entire ride home, Cath kept replaying all of her moments with Levi in her head. And every time she saw his signature smile, she would grin as well.

"What?" her dad demanded as she tried in vain to stifle a giggle for what must have been the twentieth time. She hated those stupid, immature, school-girl tendencies that she still had.

"Oh… nothing," Cath said.

"It must be something. I can hardly believe that you're that glad to see your old dad."

Cath swatted his arm. "You're not old."

"I bet it's your boyfriend," Wren sang from the backseat.

Cath didn't respond but smiled to herself and looked out the window at the blur of trees passing by.

* * *

The car pulled into their driveway as the sun began to set behind the row of houses behind them. Despite how much Cath had loved the second semester of college, she was glad to see her home once again. She remembered how badly she had wanted to stay here and not return to school during last winter break. Back then, she was certain that she couldn't ever face Levi again after they had shared a kiss and then she caught him making out with another girl during one of his parties. Now, she just shook her head at her stupidity. _Throw away everything just because of some boy troubles?_ How could she have ever been so stupid?

Her future mattered more than anything else. And to ensure that she got the future that she wanted, college was a must. It was a good thing that her dad had made her return. If she hadn't, Cath doubted that she would have ever forgiven herself. Not to mention, she would never have gotten together with Levi. _Levi_. She wondered how she could miss him so badly already.

She and Wren carried their boxes up the stairs and left them in a pile in the middle of the room they shared. They could always deal with them later. At the moment, she was starving and so was Wren. The two girls eagerly joined their dad in the kitchen, looking for a meal.

"So what's for dinner?" Cath asked. She was sitting beside Wren at the kitchen table and had her chin rested between her hands.

Her dad opened up the refrigerator and gestured to the stacks of boxes that were crammed inside of it. _Healthy Choice meals_. Wren and Cath both groaned. Ever since they had left their dad on his own when they had gone off to college, he had been living off of these boxed meals. Or at least he meant to. He despised those meals as much as the girls did. Cath wouldn't have been at all surprised if those boxes were the same ones she had seen when she had come to visit over spring break. And president's day weekend. And when Wren was in the hospital. And over winter break. And…

Cath picked up a box and searched for an expiration date. Her fears were confirmed. _January 21__st_. She held it up to her dad for him to see.

"Do you even eat these anymore?" she demanded.

"You can't blame me. They were like eating cardboard," he said defensively.

One by one, Cath took the boxes out of the refrigerator. And just like the first, they were all excessively past their expiration date.

"I'm not taking any chances," Cath announced. "I'm gonna throw all these out. You need to buy real food while I'm here."

Cath's dad threw his hands up in the air. "Amen. Did I ever tell you how much I missed having you guys cook for me every day?" He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her against him, then made his way over to Wren.

"But I already _do_ cook all of your meals," Wren pointed out. "You've been eating the leftovers that I've been making for you, right?"

"Of course. And they are absolutely delicious."

Cath's stomach rumbled. "I'm starving here. Let's go get some food." She loaded her arms with the expired boxes. "How about the Taco truck?"

Wren and their dad leapt up. "Definitely!"

Whenever they didn't have any food in the house, didn't feel like cooking, or had a bad day, the multiple taco trucks throughout their neighborhood was their go-to place for a meal. At college, the dorm buildings hardly served any tacos. On the rare occasion that they were on the menu, they weren't the same.

Cath dumped the last of the Healthy Choice boxes into the large garbage can and was walking towards the car when she heard a loud screech then a crunch. "What was that?" her dad called from inside the house. "Are you two alright?"

Wren yelled back from the garage. "That wasn't us."

"Then what was that noise?"

"I don't know… It's probably nothing."

Their dad appeared in the doorway between their house and the garage. "It sure didn't sound like nothing…" He pressed the button to open the garage door and walked out onto the sidewalk. He looked down the street to his left and saw nothing, then looked to his right.

"Wren? Cath? Give me one of your cellphones."

Wren reached into the pocket of her jeans and jogged up to her dad and handed it to him. When she saw what he had, her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my god… Cath? Come see this," she said, but Cath had already walked over to them.

A few houses down the street, glass, metal shards, and other shrapnel littered the pavement. Two cars lay mutilated at the side of the road. One – completely upside down.

"Hello, nine-one-one. What's your emergency?" Cath heard through the cellphone that her dad had pressed to his ear as she trotted brusquely next to her father towards the scene of the accident.

"I'm reporting a car accident at the corner of 31st and West," Cath's dad said. "One car is upside down… I'm approaching them right now… I don't see any movement… They might be trapped…"

"I'm sending an ambulance right now. It will arrive in a few minutes. Don't move anyone or anything unless it is absolutely necessary to do so."

"I got it. Thank you." He hung up.

A movement caught Cath's eye and she watched as a young man dragged himself out of the backseat of the overturned car.

"Dad… Dad!" Cath shouted. "Over here!"

He rushed over and crouched amongst the broken glass next to the person. "It's going to be okay. The paramedics will be here soon. Hang in there."

The guy sputtered an unintelligible phrase, and then coughed out some blood. "My mom… dad?" Even his words sounded hoarse and painful as he barely choked them out.

"Don't worry about them. They will be fine," Cath's dad reassured him. She could hear the first faint wails of a siren in the distance. Slowly, her dad rolled the boy over so that he was facing upward.

Cath stopped on her way over to them.

"Nick?!"

* * *

**A/N: **Let me know what you thought of this! I'll try to post updates once a week, but like always, no guarantees. Don't forget to review, favorite, and follow! I always LOVE any feedback that I can get.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

Cath sat on the hospital couch with her legs curled up so that she could rest her chin between her knees. Her laptop sat on her feet and the sound of her rhythmic typing along with the dripping of the IV and the beeping of the heart monitor were the only noises that broke through the silence of the building. Every once in a while, she would glance up at Nick's sleeping form.

_Why did it have to be him?_ Out of all the people she knew, why did _Nick_ have to almost die at the end of her block? Why did he have to be passing through at that exact moment? Why did her family have to be the first ones to get to the scene of the accident? Why? Why… why?

Why did she have to be the one waiting for him to wake up?

Out of all the questions that were racing through her mind, Cath at least knew the answer to that last one. Her Dad had wanted someone to be there when he had woken up.

"It would be nice," he had said, "for your friend, here, to see a familiar face when he wakes up. He'll be confused and out of it, so he'll need someone to explain what happened to him."

Cath had protested, but her attempts had been in vain. _Nick_. Even thinking of him left a bitter taste in her mouth. Her dad had been wrong about that. Nick wasn't her friend. He was a complete jerk who she had sworn she would never talk to again. Not after he had submitted the story they had worked on _together_ as his own original fiction.

She couldn't believe she was still here.

Nick shifted in his bed and hearing the loud rustling of the sheets in the room's still quiet, Cath jumped a little.

But it was just a false alarm. Nick's eyes were still shut and his breathing was deep and even once more.

What would she even say to him when he woke up? Cath imagined the conversation in her head:

** Nick:** Cath? What are you doing here?

** Cath:** I've been waiting for you to wake up…

** Nick: **You've been watching me sleep?

** Cath:** No, I've been writing, but that's not the point… You've been in a car accident, and, umm… your parents might die.

Cath shook her head. That wouldn't do. She tried again:

** Cath:** You've been in a car accident, and your parents… are in critical care and… they may not make it… I'm sorry.

But that wouldn't work either. Somehow, Cath just couldn't get her words to sound right. She could always find the right words for Simon and Baz to say. Why couldn't she figure out any now?

Cath glanced at the clock and yawned. She had already been waiting for two hours. It had been long enough. Couldn't she just leave? Get out of there while she could. Before he woke up. She flipped her phone out of her pocket and began dialing her father.

"Dad," she said when he picked up. "Could you come pick me up from the hospital?"

"Did your friend wake up?" he asked.

Cath's jaw involuntarily clenched at that term. _Friend._ Anything but. "…Yeah." She was in no mood to argue with him. She just needed to get home. Now.

"I would like to speak with the young man," Cath's dad said.

_Shit._ Cath looked over to Nick's still sleeping form…

"He… he fell back asleep?"

She heard her Dad sigh over the phone. "Cath…"

"What?" she demanded.

"Look. I know you don't want to do this, but it's the right thing to do. You have to."

"But…"

"I'll pick you up in an hour."

The line went dead and Cath threw her phone down on the couch beside her. She contemplated sitting down in the waiting room, but couldn't bear the thought of having to spend the next hour amid its hustle and bustle. At least here, she might be able to finish her next Simon and Baz chapter. Nick had hardly moved since she last got there. Cath figured she would be safe…

"What? Cath? …What… where… where am I? What – what happened?" Nich sputtered as his eyes blinked open. He was still groggy with sleep.

Cath cursed to herself. This was already not at all how she had imagined this conversation would go. She didn't have any planned responses to this. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out so she just remained gaping at him from her position on the couch.

"You were in an accident," she somehow managed to stutter after a few moments. "A car accident, I mean. Down the street from my house. Where I live." _God_, she could sound so stupid at times. "Are you… are you okay? Do you have any pain? I could go get one of the nurses for you…"

"I'm fine," Nick said, but stared straight ahead without blinking.

"Are you sure?" Cath shook her head. "Doesn't matter. I'm still getting a doctor." She stood up from the couch and almost ran towards the door, eager to get out of there as quickly as possible.

"Wait. Cath. Just tell me; how are my parents?"

Cath's stomach dropped. She had hoped that one of the nurses or doctors would get to drop the news. Not her. Now, there was no avoiding the topic. She had to tell him.

"Look, Nick. I'm really, really sorry, but…"

Nick's face crumpled with despair and his voice caught in his throat as he spoke in a hoarse whisper. "No. It can't be. No…"

"No, no, no," Cath quickly covered. "Your parents aren't dead. They're just in Critical Care."

She dove out of the room before the conversation could take another turn for the worse, though Cath believed that it had already reached the lowest it could. _Damn._ Why did she have to be so awkward?

Cath pulled out her phone and dialed her dad.

"It's Cath. Nick woke up. For real this time," she said.

"Good. I'll be right over. Stay in his room. I'm going to come up and talk to him before we leave."

"See you, Dad."

"Bye, Cath."

Cath grabbed a nurse and was waiting outside of Nick's room while the doctor was checking him when her Dad walked up to her.

"How's the patient doing?" her dad asked.

"Good? I guess?" Cath said.

"Do you not know yet?" her Dad asked.

"Yeah, he's seeing the doctor now and they won't tell me anything since we're not his immediate family."

The door swung open and the doctor walked out.

"I can't give you any details about his condition," the doctor said as she pulled off her rubber gloves, "but considering that you two were the first ones on the scene, I'll give you a few minutes to talk with him before I end his visiting hours. He'll be alright, but he's had a very traumatic day, so it will be best if he were to just rest up."

"Thank you, Doctor. We'll keep our stay short," Cath's dad said.

Nick was sitting up when they walked back into his room. Cath's dad strode up to his bedside and extended his hand out to him. Nick grabbed in and they shook.

"Hi Nick. I'm Art – Cath's dad," he said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." _Kiss up_. Nick was at it again. He would win your confidence and friendship then you would find out he had just been using you all along. He would pretend you were writing partners – friends, even – then would take full credit for your work.

"How are you doing?" Cath's dad said. She wished that they would just leave. Now.

"Very good. I just have a few bruised ribs and am recovering from a concussion, but nothing too serious. The doctor said that I could leave in the morning."

"Good, good. Do you live in the area?"

"No. My parents and I were just passing through. I actually live a few hours away, but I guess that I'll be staying in town until my parents recover."

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"There's a hotel nearby?"

"There is, but you could stay at home with us if you would like." Cath's jaw dropped. _What?!_ No. There was no way. She couldn't allow that!

"Oh no. I couldn't. Your family has already done too much for me," Nick said.

"I insist. We look out for our friends. Right, Cath?" Cath's dad looked over at her, cuing her to respond affirmatively.

Cath found herself opening her mouth and squeaking, "Right." No. This _couldn't_ be happening. Nick would have been just fine staying at a hotel. Why did her dad have to invite him into their house?

Nick nodded. "Alright. If you want. Thank you so much. For everything."

"It's no problem at all. Come on, Cath. Let's go and leave Nick to get some rest." They started walking towards the door, then Cath's dad stopped and turned back towards Nick. "We'll come to pick you up tomorrow morning. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah. It does."

They left Nick's room. It was done. Nick – _Nick_ – would be spending his summer with her. All Cath hoped for was that his parents would get well quickly then she wouldn't have to deal with his presence hanging around all the time.

It wasn't until the elevator doors closed in front of them that Cath finally exploded.

"What did you think you were doing?!" Cath demanded.

"What? Is this about inviting Nick to stay with us?" her dad said.

"Yes!"

"I didn't think you would mind it that much." He grimaced.

"I told you how much I despise that guy. Why would you go ahead and let him live with us?"

"It's not going to be forever. Besides, what was I supposed to have him do?"

"Oh, I don't know… Maybe let him stay in a hotel, like he _wanted_," Cath spat back.

"His parents are going to have enough to pay for already with all the hospital expenses and car repairs. They shouldn't have to pay hotel expenses as well," Cath's dad said.

Cath crossed her arms and leaned against the elevator's back wall. "I'm still not happy with this."

"Come on, Cath. He'll sleep on the couch so you won't have to give up your bed. And he'll probably want to spend most of his day at the hospital with his parents so you'll hardly even see him."

"Sure," Cath scoffed, but didn't complain any further. Her dad had already made up his mind and she had lost the argument a long while ago.

It was final.

She was stuck with Nick.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hey guys! Just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to those of you who are reading this, and especially those that favorited or followed this so far. They really mean a lot to me and keep me writing, even through writer's blocks. Reviews are great too! Anywho, back to the story:

* * *

**Chapter III**

"Hey Levi. It's Cath. I miss you. Call me back."

* * *

"Hey Levi. It's Cath again. I guess you're still busy, but uh... yeah. Call me. Soon?"

* * *

"Cath?"

"Levi!"

Levi's laugh came out deep and rumpling. "Excited to talk to me, huh?"

"No, it's not that – well, yes I am – but… I'm glad to finally have someone to talk to. I had a really eventful day yesterday."

Levi laughed again. "Eventful? What happened?"

"There was a car accident –"

"Shit! Are you – are you okay? I'm coming to see you. Right now." Even over the phone, Cath knew that Levi's smile had dropped from his face.

"No, Levi. I'm fine. It wasn't me in the car. It was Nick."

"Nick?"

"You know, that guy from the library. The one I was writing with," Cath said.

"Oh, him." Levi's voice went flat. "Is he okay?" he added as an afterthought.

"Yeah, he's fine, but his parents aren't." Cath sighed. "They're in critical care. And my dad agreed to let him stay at our home with us for a few days while they recover. So he doesn't have to stay in a hotel."

"You don't seem too thrilled about that," Levi said.

"I'm not. He can manage on his own. He's not a child. I don't know why my father doesn't see that we don't have to look after him. Did I ever tell you how much I hate that guy? _Despise_ him?"

"Yeah." The way Levi said that in his low, gravelly voice that made her smile despite the circumstance.

"I don't know how I'm going to be able to stand these next few days. My dad has already made me spend way too much time with him than I ever wanted."

"I know," Levi exclaimed. "How about I could just happen to invite you over to see me for a week. Maybe longer if you need."

Cath sat forward on the edge of her bed. "And your parents wouldn't mind me staying?"

"They'd be fine with it. They told me that you're welcome whenever you want," Levi said.

Cath's hopes soared. Maybe, just maybe, that would work. She could get away from Nick's constant presence. But…

"My dad would never let me do that," Cath said, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice and let herself slump backwards once again.

"Why? Your dad knows me. He knows that I'm not some serial killer. Or rapist."

"No. It's not that. My dad's cool with you. It's just that I don't think he'll want me to leave while we have a guest here. He's still under the impression that Nick and I are best friends."

"But you told him that you're not, right?" Levi asked.

"Of course, but he just doesn't seem like he understood."

"You'll still ask him, though." It was more of a demand than a question.

"Yeah. But no guarantees. I'm pretty sure that he'll say 'no'," Cath said.

"Well, if that happens, pack your bags and start walking, then call me. I'll come pick you up at the side of the road." Levi laughed at the absurdity of that plan. Before long, Cath started laughing along with him.

"But enough with my ranting. What about you? Anything exciting happen over where you are?" Cath asked as soon as her bouts of laughter subsided.

* * *

Late into the night, Cath and Levi were still talking back and forth. Their families had gone to bed a while ago, so they whispered to each other in the dark, lying on their backs on their beds.

But sometimes they just stayed silent and listened to each other's breaths that they heard over the phone. It was quiet. It was simple. It was exactly what Cath needed after everything.

When Cath woke up the next morning, she had no memory of ever falling asleep; only of Levi. She could still hear the tempo of his breaths, his laughter, his voice as he whispered to her through her phone….

Her phone.

In a panic, Cath lifted her sheets above her head and rummaged around their wrinkles, looking for it. But it was not there. It wasn't under her pillow as well. Maybe it had fallen on the floor. She hung face-down off of the side of her bed and lifted up the sheets that hung to the floor. There it was; among the upside down world of dust bunnies and old socks (she seriously had to clean under there sometime). Cath picked up the phone and blew the dust off of it, then inspected it for any cracks. She let out a sigh of relief. There were none.

"Sorry if I left you hanging last night… Looks like I fell asleep midsentence," she sent in a quick text to Levi.

Cath lifted a hand and ran it through her knotted hair as the text finished sending. _Uggh,_ she was such a mess. She hadn't gotten a chance to put her hair up in a braid and as she tossed and turned throughout the night, it had tangled almost to the point of beyond repair. Not to mention, her breath tasted rank with sleep.

_Maybe coffee would help_. Cath needed anything that she could get to be fully awake. The stairs creaked underneath her feet as she trudged downstairs into the kitchen.

"Cath! You're finally awake," her dad called, hearing her footsteps.

"Yeah," she groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"Come on down. I've made pancakes for you and –"

"Pancakes?" Cath cut him off. "Thanks, Dad! You're the best." She ran down the hallway from the bottom of the stairs and into the kitchen. Her dad's pancakes were famous in her family and could quite easily be the best recipe in the world. That could wake her up more than six pots of coffee.

Cath spun around the corner into the kitchen in her socks, sliding a little on the hardwood floor. She could tell, this was the start to a great…

_Nick._

"Hey, Cath," he said and raised a hand to give her a polite wave.

"Hi Nick," Cath squeaked, caught off guard.

She had almost completely forgotten about the invitation that her father had extended out to him. This was not a scene that she had expected to wake up to. And so soon. What time was it anyway? It couldn't have been much later than 9AM? 10? She checked the clock that hung on the kitchen wall above the sink.

One in the afternoon.

That made the situation more realistic, but still…

It had happened. It was happening. Nick was in her kitchen. _Nick_.

And today of all days; the time where she woke up looking like the Yeti and went downstairs still dressed in her pajamas.

Without a bra.

_Shit._

In a white t-shirt.

_Double shit._

As soon as that realization hit her, she dashed back upstairs, hoping fervently that Nick hadn't seen too much. If there was anything worse than having to share living space with someone you couldn't stand to be around, it was this. Could it really get any worse?

"I'll be right back down," Cath called from her room.

She threw open the drawer to her dresser and pulled out a bra and a sweatshirt and put them on. She then picked up her hairbrush and attempted to run it through her tangles, but it only got stuck halfway down the back of her head. That was it. She was done with trying to tame the mess. There wasn't any time for that. She somehow managed to free the brush from her hair and then piled it up on top of her head and stretched a hair tie around the messy bun. Maybe no one would notice.

Cath dashed downstairs again, but hesitated before turning into the kitchen. Was it really worth it? The smell of pancakes floated through the air and she took a deep breath. Breakfast just smelled to good to pass. Even though Nick was down there, she would rather be in the same room as him than miss out on her dad's pancakes.

"Good. You're down," Cath's dad said as she reentered the kitchen. "I had begun to think that you had fallen back asleep." He flashed a smile in her direction. "You sure did sleep for quite a while. Even Wren is up and out of the house."

"Oh really," Cath remarked. She opened a cabinet above the counter and reached for a plate, then walked over to the hot griddle and waited for her meal to be done cooking, spatula in hand.

"Yeah, she's at the library," Cath's dad said.

"The library? That's not like Wren at all…"

"I don't know. She did say something about some music."

"Typical." Cath laughed. "There's no way she'd be looking at books."

"You wouldn't either," her dad pointed out. "Anything other than Simon Snow, at least."

Cath shot her dad a glare. She hated to have that embarrassing fact broadcasted to anyone, even if it was just Nick (who cared what he thought anyway). Her dad could be so embarrassing at times.

"Simon Snow, huh?" Nick remarked. "Those used to be my favorite books back when I was still in Elementary school."

Cath clenched her jaw. Leave it to Nick to use her to feel superior yet again. Just because she liked children's books didn't mean that she had the mentality of a child. He was just trying to show her up. She smiled politely at him. "That's nice." Who cared what he thought anyway. She couldn't let him get to her. If he did, this next week would be _very_ long.

Cath was relieved when Nick got up to leave the kitchen, claiming that he needed to lie down and rest for a while. He still hadn't healed one hundred percent and seemed to be slightly unsteady on his feet. Maybe it was a good thing, after all, that he was staying with them in case something happened. Cath shook her head slightly while no one was looking. She couldn't think like that. Nick wasn't welcome here. Ever.

"I don't understand why you said that you don't like Nick. He's such a pleasant young man," Cath's dad whispered to Cath. She only shrugged.

The pancakes stopped sizzling on the griddle and Cath lifted the edge of it with the spatula and checked underneath it to see if it was ready. It was a brown, verging on black color, so she turned off the stove's burner and flipped the pancake onto her plate then sat down at the table in the middle of the kitchen. She reached for the bottle of syrup and poured it onto her plate until the pancake was drenched. Just the way she liked it.

"By the way, Dad, I was talking to Levi last night and he invited me to his place for the week," Cath said. She finished pouring, twisted the cap back onto the syrup bottle, and returned it to its rightful place at the center of the table.

"Cath," her dad sighed. "I don't want to have to tell you again. While Nick is over, I need you to stay here. He is going through a traumatic time in his life and he needs a familiar face to help him out. I'm not letting you bail on the guy now."

Cath slumped over the table, propping her head up by her arm and blew air noisily out through her mouth. "I didn't ask for this," she grumbled.

Her father walked up behind her and patted her shoulder as she absentmindedly stabbed her pancake with her fork. "No one did, darling. No one."

"It's just not fair."

"I know. You still have to do your part to help, though."

With that, Cath was left alone in the kitchen with her pancakes. She took a bite – delicious as always – and opened up a blank text on her phone for Levi.

"Permission to travel not granted. Guess I'm hitting the road ;)" she wrote, then second-guessed the winky-face (too creepy) and replaced it with a ":)".

Maybe Levi could come here instead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

Cath stabbed at her eggs with her fork, eating her breakfast in silence like she had for the past few mornings. These meals had become almost too awkward for her to handle with her dad and Nick trying to make small talk while she observed. She had contemplated skipping this first meal of the day, but the food her dad had made was too good to miss. Ever since Wren had left to visit Alejandro, Cath didn't even have the company of her twin to get her through those morning.

"Cath, are you doing much today?" her dad asked. She set her fork down and reached for her orange juice.

"Yeah, I need to write a new Simon chapter," she said and took a sip from the glass. Nick already knew how much she liked Simon Snow, thanks to her dad. She figured that there was no point in hiding it from him anymore.

"Great!" Cath's dad said. "I'll put you in charge of showing Nick around town today."

Cath slammed the glass onto the table, causing the two men to jump slightly in their seats. "What? No! I cant! I _need _to get a new chapter out. By the end of today."

Her dad crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "That can wait. Nick doesn't have anything to do today since there are no visiting hours at the hospital today. You _will_ show him around."

Cath just stared at her dad. An entire day with Nick? And not just being around him, but having to talk with him and entertain him.

"It's fine, Art. I don't mind hanging around for the day," Nick said. (Since when was he on a first name basis with her dad?)

Cath smiled and gestured in Nick's direction. "See?"

Her dad smiled. "No, it's fine. Cath won't mind showing you around," he said, sending a pointed glare in Cath's direction.

Having finished her breakfast, Cath stood up and walked with her empty plate over to the sink. As she was setting it down, her Dad came up behind her. "Be nice," he whispered and pressed some money into the palm of her hand. "You can take the car. This should cover lunch and, oh I don't know, maybe a round of bowling if you wanted to do that or anything else."

Cath nodded. "Thanks," she grumbled, making it sound more of a sarcastic statement than anything. _God_. Her dad was turning this into a date. A very much involuntary date. Bowling and lunch? Next he would suggest a movie, then make them sit in the two seats in the far back row – the make-out corner. At least he wasn't making her dress up for this. Still, what would Levi say about this. She figured it was best for him to not know. It's not like she was cheating on him or anything.

Cath walked out of the kitchen, calling over her shoulder to Nick. "I'm leaving in twenty minutes. You'd better be ready." Maybe if they got this over with quickly, she could have the entire afternoon left to write. Or maybe she could do her writing where she was going. Cath ran upstairs and shoved her laptop in her backpack. She would have to sneak out of the house to get it passed her dad, but if she succeeded that extra effort would be more than worth it.

She shouldered her bag and started down the stairs, careful to avoid the creaky boards. She dashed past the kitchen doorway and down the hallway until the garage door was in sight. She was out. Cath let out a sigh of relief. She didn't know what she would have done if her dad had caught her….

But her dad was walking back into the house from out of the garage at that moment. And she had no backstory.

"Cath? What's in that backpack?" her dad asked.

Cath hung her head and spun around on one foot. "It's fine," she mumbled, heading back towards her bedroom. "I'll put it back." Her dad was too smart to have not figured it out that she was trying to leave with her laptop and from the look in his eyes, he didn't like what she was up to.

"Thank you," her dad said as she trudged back up the staircase. She had to be more cunning than that. Maybe she could write a few paragraphs on some napkins.

_Was it really worth such measures?_ With Nick for company, it most certainly was.

* * *

Cath stepped on her car's gas pedal as she accelerated from a stop at an intersection. Ever since she had left her house, both her and Nick had been dead silent and the only noise that broke the peace was the sound of Omaha's main road. After a few minutes, the houses gave way to other buildings. Businesses.

"Welcome to downtown Omaha," Cath announced – the first words either of them had spoken during the ride. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nick nod his head.

"So is there anything we're going to do?" he asked.

"I really don't care," Cath shot at him. "Just tell me what you want to do and I'll get you there."

Nick put his hands up in front of him as if he was pleading for Cath to not shoot him. "Woah there," he said, "you don't have to be so rude."

"Well neither did you," Cath shot back.

"Me? Rude?" Nick wore a look of genuine confusion on his face.

The car stopped at the next stoplight and Cath turned to look Nick in the eye. "Uh… Yeah. Do you remember when you took that story that you and I were working on together. As a _team_. And submitted it as your own work. Then asked for me to take partial credit for helping to write it _just_ so that you would be able to have it published in the newspaper."

"I asked you first if it would be alright for me to turn that story in," Nick protested and Cath turned away from him and fixed her gaze on the red stoplight. "You said that it would be fine."

The stoplight turned green and Cath stepped abruptly on the gas, throwing Nick back in his seat. "You gave me no choice."

Nick sighed and when he spoke again, his voice was lower and softer. "So that's why you haven't been very welcoming lately. I had no idea how upset you were over that."

Cath scoffed. "Well you should have realized. That was quite a dick move, _Nicholas_."

"Look, Cath. That was, what? Six months ago? Five? I'm really sorry about upsetting you that much. Let's put the past behind us."

"So we can go back to how we were before?"

"Yes! Exactly! I'd love to start writing with you again." Nick gave Cath a wide smile.

"No way. You'd just take my work again."

Nick's smile fell. "I promise. I'll never do that. Not again."

"Oh you will. You'll take my work again because that's who you are. You're a thief. You're a liar. You're a -"

Nick cut her off, his voice hollow. "Stop it. I get it. Look." He let a large breath out. "Look. I realize now that what I did was wrong. It was so wrong. At that time, I somehow thought that it would be fine. That you wouldn't get mad. That I would get an A." Cath opened her moth to speak, but Nick cut her off once more. "No just wait until I'm done," he said. "I should have seen how much it upset you and now that you point it out, I'm seeing all of those signs at last. The way that you broke contact with me and stopped going to the library, the way that you would always walk in a hurry through the English building with your head down. Now I know that you were just trying to avoid me because I had hurt you. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Maybe it's just that I'm a guy and you're a girl, I don't understand feelings as well as you do and you think badly of me for that. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Cath stared straight ahead, a neutral stare on her face. Should she forgive Nick? He had treated her terribly after all, but he was right – he had screwed up – but did he deserve a second chance?

"All I ask is for you to be nice towards me," Nick continued. "You don't have to be my best friend. You don't even have to be my friend. Can you do that? Can you accept my apology?"

Cath's mind traveled back to winter break. Back to when everything had been going wrong. Her father was in the hospital. It had seemed as if Levi didn't like her as much as she had hoped. She hadn't finished her final project in her creative writing class. On top of that, Nick had gone and used their work as his own. As his sole masterpiece. Back then, it had been too much for her to handle all at once.

But was it really _all_ Nick's fault? He had no way of knowing what she was going through and as he had said, he hadn't realized that she had been upset at his actions.

"Are you just saying this just because you're staying in my house?" Cath asked.

Nick's eyes widened and he shook his head quickly. "Of course not. I promised. No more dick moves."

Cath let out a little laugh and gave him a small smile. "Okay, I guess," she said. "I'll forgive you, but no guarantees."

Nick's expression still brightened. "It's something. Thank you."

The silence in the car resumed, but it felt different this time and Cath somehow felt obligated to break it. "So my dad wants me to actually show you places instead of just drive by. Is there anything that you want to do?"

Nick shrugged. "I don't know. We could go get some food someplace, but we just ate breakfast… What do you think is the best place to go? Where do you usually go with your friends?"

Cath laughed. "The mall, this frozen yogurt place… but I don't know. They're kind of girly places."

"I don't mind if that's where you want to go."

"No, let's go somewhere else," Cath said, shaking her head. "How about…" Her mind wandered back to the kitchen when her dad had pressed the dollar bills into her hand and the suggestion that he had made. "…bowling?"

"Only if you feel like losing," Nick challenged and they both grinned at each other.

"Oh, I think you're quite mistaken. I'm so good at bowling that I can get a gutter ball – with bumpers up."

Nick raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Now that takes talent."

* * *

Sure enough, five rounds later, Cath found herself living up to that boast. The score: fifty-one to eight. And Cath was very proud of each one of those five points.

Nick picked up his ball from its place on the ball return and strode towards the lane, each step planted without any hesitation. He swung his arm and let go of the ball, sending it rolling towards the pin. It seemed almost effortless, but for some reason, Cath couldn't seem to get the hang of it. The pins fell down all at once. A strike.

Again.

Cath walked up to Nick and gave him a high-five. "I still don't see how you do that."

He flashed her a grin. "Natural-born talent."

"Really." Cath didn't buy that for a minute.

"No, my roommate and I always make it a habit to go bowling on the weekends. He was a star on his high school's bowling team, so I've picked up a few tricks from him along the way."

"Do you think you could pass some of those tricks along to me?" Cath asked, hoping for anything that might help her keep her throws from straying into the gutter.

"And hurt my chances of staying in the lead? No way!"

Cath rolled her eyes. "The way I bowl, it will be a while before I'll be able to even get close to beating you."

"Okay, pick up your ball," Nick commanded. Cath bent over and did so, placing her index finger and her middle finger inside of the holes. "No, no, no. You're holding it wrong. Use your middle finger and your ring finger instead."

Cath shifted her hold on the ball. "Are you sure? This feels wrong…"

"I'm positive. Now, come with me to the lane."

Cath stood at the line, her ball nestled against her stomach. "Now what?"

"Now show me how you bowl."

Cath brought back her arm slightly and then dropped the ball onto the lane. It stayed on for a few seconds, but then it veered too far off to the side.

"You need to swing your arm further back before you release the ball," Nick said. "Let's try again."

Cath came back with another ball and stood at the line once more. This time, Nick stood behind her, guiding her on how to stand. He wrapped one of his hands around her wrist and guided that arm backwards. "This is how much you need to swing," he said into her ear.

"Alright."

"Let go of the ball when I tell you." Nick guided Cath's arm backwards once more and swung it in front of her. "Now!" he shouted and Cath sent the ball rolling down the lane. She held her breath, hoping, hoping for a good score.

Eight pins down.

She couldn't help but to let a too-wide smile take over her face and she jumped over to Nick, wrapping her arms around his neck for a hug. "I did it," she squealed.

"I told you I was an expert at bowling," Nick said, his voice suddenly lower and his expression more thoughtful.

Why had Cath never noticed his eyes before? They were a deep brown. So dark they could almost be called black and so captivating at the same time…

But why was Nick closing his eyelids? Why was he so close?

_No._

It couldn't be.

As quick as she could, Cath brought her arms back to her side and rushed back to her spot on the bench behind the ball return. "Your turn," she called, hoping that she could just ignore that almost kiss and never have to bring it up ever again. "See if you can still beat me."

_Nick_. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought that that would have ever happened with Nick. She might still be mad at him. It just couldn't be.

Besides, she had Levi.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Hey guys! Just wanted to take a second to let you know about this new Fangirl forum that I've started. It's called Keep Calm and Write Fanfiction ( forum/Keep-Calm-and-Write-Fanfiction/150430/ ). I started it as a place for the Fangirl fandom to discuss the book, help each other out with writing, and just chill. It would be great if you guys came to check it out!

* * *

**Chapter V**

Cath stared at her computer's screen, the white light of her Word document shining onto her face in the dim lighting of her room. Words rushed through her head, but they were all wrong and with each passing second, the blinking cursor seemed to mock her more and more. 'Baz laid his head on Simon's shoulder and closed his eyes, taking comfort in his warmth,' Cath reread for what must have been the hundredth time. Today, she somehow couldn't get any further in the plot. She groaned and tilted her head back. She was already far behind her goal. She had promised her readers that she would post a chapter a day, and the three-hundred and eighteen words that she had written barely qualified as a few paragraphs.

_Could this day get any worse_? First, her dad had made her spend an entire morning with Nick and no one but Nick. Second, the almost-kiss that she and Nick had shared (she still had yet to tell Levi and wondered if she ever should. Nothing had happened, so it wasn't her obligation, right?). Third, she had this god-awful writer's block that she was beginning to doubt that she would ever be able to get rid of.

Cath slammed her laptop's lid shut. She knew that she badly needed to step away from her project, yet she needed to get her chapter done. Today. "It's fine," she muttered to herself. "No one will ever have to read this first draft. It won't matter how bad it is, just write, Cath, write!" Her rhythmic typing began once more.

'_Baz looked up at Simon's eyes. They were beautiful. "I love you, Baz," Simon whispered into Baz's ear._

'"_I love you too, Simon," Baz whispered back, "but it's getting late and we should go back to our dorm room to get some sleep before tomorrow."_

'"_Baz, why do you always have to be so sensible. That is a very good idea. I agree with that."'_

Cath reread what she wrote and couldn't help but to grimace at her words. Was that really her that wrote that? She could hardly believe it. She sighed and placed her finger tips back onto her laptop's keys. If she was to overcome her writer's block, she couldn't let herself go back and fix anything. She had to just power through it.

'"_But wait Simon. There's just one last thing before we go back to the castle I want to kiss you."_

'_Simon nodded and leaned forward to kiss Nick. He closed his eyes as the gap between their lips shrunk. I could feel the warm tickle of his breath across my face and let out a light giggle before his mouth met mine, sending flurries through my stomach. The moment was mag-'_

Cath stopped typing and stared at her screen, her eyes widened with horror. _No!_ What was she thinking? It wasn't like she hadn't accidentally slipped from writing in third person to first person before. This wasn't the first time either that she had imagined herself as Simon, but never before had she thought of Baz as someone else that she knew. Cath highlighted the text that she had written and deleted it as quickly as she could, then slammed shut the lid of her laptop. Her chapter could wait. She just had to get out of her house and get Nick out of her head.

Cath crept through the hallway and down the stairs, careful to avoid the creaky floorboards. She didn't wish to alert anyone (especially Nick) of her movements.

Her escape was going as planned, but once she set foot on the first floor, her hopes to pass through unseen were diminished - the only way out of her house was blocked. Peering into the living room, Cath could see Nick's feet resting on top of her family's coffee table and heard the dialogue from whatever TV show that he was watching. And the door to the outside was on that room's opposite wall.

Maybe, she could sneak out while Nick was distracted.

She put one foot forward and taking care to not make any eye contact with him, tried to inconspicuously tiptoe around the outskirts of the room to the door. Her hand reached out for the doorknob as she took her last few steps and she turned it, and then yanked. As the door swung open, a seemingly ear-spitting creak filled the room. Cath cringed and fearfully glanced over to Nick, praying that he somehow might not have noticed the noise.

But such luck was not with her.

"Oh hey, Cath. Going somewhere?" Nick asked, giving her a friendly smile.

"Yes," she said simply and fled out the door. She had to get away.

"Can I come with?" Nick called, running out of the door behind her. _God_, he was just like a little puppy that followed her everywhere, but not at all as cute.

"No." Cath shoved her hands in her pockets and walked down the driveway to the sidewalk with her head down.

"Oh, okay. I'll catch you later, then," Nick said, but Cath didn't respond.

She needed to get him out of her head and she couldn't do that with him constantly around. _Okay, first things first – you do not think of him, you do not speak of him, you avoid him. Him? Who's him? I don't know. (But you do know, it's Ni-) NO! You DO NOT think of him._

Cath's mind bounced back and forth for a few blocks. She tried to clear her mind, taking deep breaths and concentrating only on what was going on in the neighborhood around her, but with all of the thoughts that kept racing through her mind, Cath found this to be a near impossible feat. She couldn't seem silence her bustling mind.

Then her phone vibrated.

She reached into her pocket and pulled it out, breaking into a smile when she saw Levi's name show up on the Caller ID. It was just the distraction that she needed right now.

She pressed the "talk" button and held the phone up to her ear. "Levi?"

"Cath! How are you?" Levi's voice sent a warm feeling swirling through her stomach just like he did whenever she saw her. Cath needed to see him. Badly.

"Look; are you doing anything right now?"

"No. But why–" Cath started speaking again before Levi could finish his sentence.

"Good. You're packing your bags and coming here. Now."

"What's the matter? You sound way too anxious…."

"Are you packing?" Cath pressed.

"Yes, yes. I'm packing," Levi said, flustered by Cath's uncharacteristic insistence. "But seriously – what is going on?"

"Nick is really just… getting under my skin. Listen, I'll fill you in later. I just really need you here."

Levi chuckled. "I see. You need someone interesting like me to add color to the boredom that Nick brings with him everywhere he goes."

"Yes, but that wasn't really my intent – actually not at all. Do me a favor and make it very clear to Nick that you're my boyfriend, alright?"

"Oh?" There was a pause and Cath heard a door slam behind Levi. "With pleasure," he said, his anger beginning to give his voice a harder tone.

"When will you get here?" Cath asked.

"Hmm, let's see…. My GPS says four hours. I'll be there in three."

"Alright, but don't you dare get a ticket for speeding."

"Don't you worry about me, Cath. If I get pulled over, I'll just disarm the police with my charming good looks." The sound of a diesel engine roared to life in the background. "I'll see you in a few."

"See you, Levi," Cath said and put her cellphone back into her pocket. A wave of calm washed over her just as if she had finished a long spell of sobbing. Within only a few hours, she would get to see Levi again and her problem with Nick would be gone. She was amazed at how complex it had all seemed just a few minutes ago. As if she had to choose between the two. As if she had wanted to do that. No, Levi was the only one for her. She was Simon and Levi was Baz. Nick would never take over his part and Cath's stomach began to feel slightly queasy to think that for even one moment, she had thought otherwise. She now knew what her place was and what Nick's was as well. If he ever stopped offending her, Nick would just be her friend. Nothing more. There was no way Nick would ever replace Levi.

Having completed her lap around the block, Cath walked back up the driveway and back into her house.

"That was a short outing," Nick commented as Cath stepped into her living room.

"Yeah, it was. I just needed a short walk to cure my writer's block. Sorry about being a little short with you earlier."

Nick waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. Everyone gets cranky when their words don't flow as well as they should."

Cath walked through the room, but then stopped right before leaving. "Oh and by the way, my boyfriend's going to be coming to stay for the next few days."

"Your… boyfriend." Nick's voice slumped and as Cath left the living room, she felt a slight pang of remorse. Maybe she should have waited until later to have Levi come over. At least until she had made it clear to Nick that she wasn't interested.

"Hey dad," Cath said when she walked into the kitchen. Her dad looked up from where he had been pouring over storyboards that seemed to be laid out haphazardly on the table's surface. Since Nick had been over, he had moved his makeshift office out of the living room and into the kitchen. "Do you remember Levi? I invited him to stay with us for a few days as well."

"Levi? Oh yes, what a nice young man." Cath's dad took off his glasses and looked up at Cath. "Although, I wish that you had asked me before you went ahead and invited him."

Cath's smile fell. "You do think that we'll still be able to have him over, right?"

"Of course. It won't be a problem. Since Wren won't be getting back for quite a few more days, I suppose that he could take her bed."

"Perfect! Thanks, Dad. Levi will get here in a few hours." Cath sprang back up the stairs and threw herself back on her bed, unable to keep a small squeal of joy repressed. She opened up the lid to her laptop and to her relief, the words began to flow again. After a few lines, a new thought passed through her mind and Cath paused in her typing.

She had just about forgiven Nick, but had Levi?


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI**

The rumbling of Levi's truck echoed down Cath's block exactly when he had promised – an hour before expected. A few seconds later, the engine was cut and a door was slammed shut. Cath saved the Simon chapter that she was working on and closed the lid to her laptop. She set her computer on the foot of the mattress she was laying on and swung her feet over the side as the doorbell chimed once.

"Open the door – it's Levi," Cath called as she ran down the hallway. A few moments later, Cath entered the living room, out of breath from running, to see Nick inviting Levi in. What was Nick doing? This was her house. Not his. He had no right to invite guests in. That was for her dad, Wren or her to do. _Whatever_. Cath decided that it was unnecessary to bring up.

"Cath!" Levi said and broke into a smile when he saw her. He dropped his bag next to the door and quickly covered the distance between the two of them.

"Hey Levi," Cath said and wrapped her arms around him when he got close enough. Levi mirrored her actions, almost squeezing all of the air out of her in a tight embrace. Just being around him once more sent her stomach fluttering. Everything about him was right – his smile, the sparkle in his eyes, the way he smelled of good cologne.

Cath looked up at Levi and he gave her one quick kiss on the lips. "It's so good to see you again," she said and Levi laughed.

"Come on, we've only been apart for what… four days? Five? Levi said. Cath grinned and shrugged at him. That was true, but it was still wonderful to see him. It was the perfect moment, except…

Cath broke out of the embrace and finally gestured to Nick, who had been standing off to one side of the room, watching their reunion. She hoped that it had scared him off, but hadn't made him feel too terrible. Putting Nick in the friend zone was all she had wanted to do, not crush his heart. She didn't want to do to Nick what she had believed Levi had done to her. That feeling like the world was falling around her as she had seen Levi kissing that one girl in the kitchen at his party, she wouldn't ever wish on anyone else.

"Nick, I'd like you to meet Levi. And Levi, Nick," she said. Levi took one hand off of Cath's shoulder, leaving one wrapped around her waist as he reached out to shake Nick's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Levi," Nick said as they shook.

Levi nodded once, curtly. "Nice to meet you," he echoed. "I'm Cath's boyfriend."

Cath inwardly cringed. As if Nick needed any more clarification. Normally, Levi would give Cath a little more space while they were around others, but today it seemed as if Levi couldn't step more than a foot away from her. He certainly was doing his job to make their whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing more obvious.

Nick nodded, unsure of what to say next. "Okay, alright. I guess I'll be seeing you around, then."

"Would you like anything to eat or drink?" Cath asked Levi as Nick sat back in his place on the couch.

"Could I have a glass of water?"

Cath nodded and took Levi's hand, leading him into the kitchen and leaving Nick behind. In the kitchen, Cath's dad was busy poring over his papers that were spread out all across the table.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Avery," Levi greeted as he stepped into the kitchen.

"Hello, Levi," Cath's dad said and began to gather up his papers. "I'm going to get out of the way of the two of you."

"It's fine, Dad," Cath said as she rummaged around in the cabinets for a clean glass then tested the tap water for the perfect temperature. "Really. We can move and you can stay here."

"Nonsense. I need a change of scenery anyway."

"Alright, then. Thanks, Dad." The water began to finally get colder and Cath held the cup underneath the falling stream.

"I'm so glad you came when you did. Thanks so much for this," Cath said as soon as her dad had left the room.

"Not a problem," Levi said, grinning from ear to ear. Could it be that he liked this? That he liked being called to save her from the clutches of another guy and announcing that she was his? "Do you think that he got the picture?"

"I would doubt it if he didn't." Cath handed the water to Levi and he took a swig. "Just, like, don't overdo it, okay?" she continued with a shy smile.

Levi put the glass down on the counter and knitted his eyebrows together. "What… why? Do you want him to try to kiss you again?"

"No! That's not it!" Cath answered quickly, shaking her head back and forth. "It's just that, well, his parents _are_ in the hospital. Under critical care. No one knows if they'll make it and I know that he won't show it, but that's got to be an awfully heavy burden for him to carry on his shoulders. So try to be nice, that's all. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you want." Levi planted a kiss on the tip of her nose and Cath wrinkled her nose. "You're so cute when you do that," he whispered.

Cath turned back toward the cabinet, pretending to look through the cabinet for something else to eat, and let a strand of hair fall from the side to cover up her face. It didn't take long before Levi wrapped his hands around her waist and turned her around to face him. His fingers, toughened by work on his farm, were soft as he gently brushed Cath's hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ears. His fingers traced their way down the side of her head until they reached her chin and tilted her head up so that his lips met hers.

Cath wrapped her arm around his neck and let her fingers weave through the hair at the back of his head. If she could have melted, she would have done so at that moment. It was perfect, being just the two of them once more. Alone….

With a whir, the refrigerator sprung to life and a few seconds later, loud crunching disrupted the room's peace. Jolted out of her delight, Cath spun around to the source of the noise.

"Don't mind me, I'm just getting some ice," Nick said, holding a cup in the refrigerator door, filling it up. "Please, do continue." As he exited the room, he walked too closely to the couple, bumping into Levi with his shoulder. _What was his problem?_

Cath turned back to Levi, sighed, and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's not your fault he's an ass," Levi said. "Let's get outta here."

Cath laughed and stood up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Gladly."

* * *

The summer sun was beginning to set as Cath and Levi walked down the sidewalks of her neighborhood's downtown area, their fingers intertwined. They had been aimlessly weaving up and down the streets for the past hour - sometimes in silence, sometimes not – enjoying the pleasantly warm summer Nebraskan weather.

"How about we go in here?" Levi asked, motioning to a pastry shop that they were passing. Abel's pastry shop. "It smells delicious."

"No, really. It's fine. Let's just keep walking." Cath tugged on Levi's hand, leading him further down the street, but he stopped to stare at the pastries that were on display in the store's front window. Cath tried to push him away, but her stick-like arms were no match for his strength.

"Come on, Cath. Just one little cookie. Don't they look mouthwatering?" Levi pleaded.

"I'll just wait…." Cath trailed off as Levi shot her a distressed look. "Oh, fine. We'll go in."

Seconds later, Cath regretted ever saying that. She should have protested further. She should have said to Levi, 'I can't go in there. My ex's family runs that place and I haven't exactly talked to any of them ever since he broke up with me.' Levi would have understood. She could have told him anything, but she didn't. And now she was kicking herself for not.

The bells that were tied to the door had rang (she had tied them up there herself when they had fallen down last summer) as Cath and Levi had walked into the little shop. Levi had immediately made his way towards the display of cakes and other desserts, but Cath seemed to still be stuck to the door mat.

There Abel was, standing behind the counter with his back turned towards the front of the store as he frosted a cake. It was a scene that was so familiar to Cath, yet this time it brought her the sickening feeling of anxiety. What should she do? Should she walk in and pretend to not notice Abel? Or should she say 'hi' to him? She had too many questions that needed to be answered. Where was Wren now when she needed her? Wren had broken up with many boys before and she always knew precisely how to act afterwards. Cath had hoped that she would just have been able to stay away from here and never have to see Abel or his family ever again. It sure would have saved her from the awkward situation that she found herself in now. Why did she have to bring Levi to this part of town?

"Um, excuse me. Could I have two of those Pan Dulces, please?"

Cath was alarmed at the sound of Levi's voice interrupting her thoughts. She had to think of something – quickly. Abel was going to turn around in three… two… one….

"Hi, Abel," she squeaked, raising her right hand to give him a small, half-hearted wave and a smile. As she was overcome with nerves, she was afraid that it had turned out to resemble more of a grimace. How would Abel react? Would he be awkward around her? Would he apologize? Would he be glad to see her?

"Hi, Cath. How are you?" Abel gave her a polite smile as he reached into the glass pastry display for Levi's order. "Are you back for summer break?"

Cath nodded. "I'm good, thank you. Back on vacation," she swung her arm out in front of her, trying to give Abel a little thumbs-up and let out a self-conscious and obviously forced laugh. "How are you?"

"Oh, same old, same old. Just taking care of the shop." Abel rang up Levi's treats as Cath nodded in response to his answer. Why? Why, oh why did she have to be so awkward all the time?

"That's good. Um, I'll see you around, then?"

"Yeah, I'll see you," Abel said.

Cath grabbed Levi's hand and, yanking him this time, led him out of the shop. She was never going back in there again.

"Why were you in such a rush to get out of there?" Levi asked. "And why didn't you want to go in there in the first place?"

Cath closed her eyes and sighed. "That was my ex."

"Oh."

"Well, not really my ex because we were never actually dating. I mean, we were, but it wasn't official. At least Wren never said that it was, but we were doing that kind-of dating thing for more than a year. About a month into college, that guy, Abel, called me up to say that he had found a girl, so I suppose that that was kind of like breaking up and I was pretty upset."

Levi wrapped his arm around Cath. "Hey, think on the bright side. If you and that kid were still "kind-of" together, you wouldn't have gotten the opportunity to date me."

Cath smiled and leaned her head against his arm. "I know. It's just that that was the first time that I had really seen him since we had broken up and, you know, that's always awkward."

Levi frowned. "You know, if you had just told me that, I wouldn't have begged you to go inside."

"I know, I know. I just wasn't thinking at the time."

He reached into his paper bag and pulled out one of the Pan Dulces that he had bought. "Eat. The sugar with wash away the embarrassments of your past."

Without hesitating, Cath took a bite of the sweet bread. The two continued on their way and Levi bumped his shoulder playfully against hers. "I'd better watch out," he teased. "Yet another boy that I have to keep you away from."

Cath rolled her eyes. Nothing could be farther from the truth.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter VII**

The next morning came with a large crack of thunder and flash of lightning. Cath groaned and rolled over on her bed, trying to cover her ears with her pillow. Of all times to rain, why did it have to storm right now? Why couldn't have it waited until later on in the day to thunder? Another flash of lightning lit up her room, followed by a clap of thunder only moments later. Cath stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom, having completely given up on getting any sleep. As the room lit up once more, she glanced over at Levi, who was still sleeping in Wren's bed across the room from her.

Terrific. Just terrific. Leave it to Levi to be able to sleep through anything. Here it was, seven o'clock in the morning and she had absolutely nothing to do. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed as her stomach growled loudly. She could really do for some breakfast, but what? As soundlessly as possible, Cath tried to sneak down the stairs to the kitchen. She knew that cereal was always kept on stock in the house, but she was too tired of having to eat that – it didn't even taste any different than cardboard.

She opened the refrigerator, but then shut it abruptly. _Gah_, the bright light was too much for her early in the morning. Cath wasn't typically a morning person and usually preferred to sleep in until eight at least. Unfortunately, with the way the storm outside was carrying on, she had no choice in the matter. Trying for a second time, Cath opened the refrigerator door. This time, the light inside didn't burn her eyes as much as they had before. She scanned the contents inside, but was disappointed as there wasn't anything good to eat inside – only a half-filled jar of peanut butter, some bread (what was that doing in the fridge anyway?), eggs, milk, and leftovers of whatever meal Wren had prepared before she had left on her trip.

Opening the cabinets, Cath found a similar situation – only a few boxes of cereal. Really, there was nothing good to eat. She lowered her standards and returned to the refrigerator. If she was going to make something good to eat, she would have to get very creative. Her eyes fell on the eggs and the milk. Maybe she could scramble them…. But then she saw the bread and the answer popped into her head. French toast.

Grinning broadly, proud of her ability to solve her problem even with her morning grogginess, Cath made her way over to the stove and began to heat up a pan. She cracked a few eggs open, grimacing at their slime as the white brushed against her fingers on their way into the mixing bowl, and poured in a dose of milk as well as a sprinkle of cinnamon. Using a fork, she started to furiously whip up the mixture.

"Hey, Cath. Good morning," Nick said from behind her, yawning slightly as he spoke.

"Good morning," Cath responded, her voice slightly hoarse.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

"Yeah, storm woke me." Cath glanced out the window as she spoke. Sure enough, it was still pouring, but even though the storm was still making a racket, the thunder and lightning had stopped quite a while ago.

"Whatcha' cooking?" Nick asked, motioning towards Cath's mixing bowl.

"Some French toast. You can have some – but only if you help me out."

Nick walked up next to Cath and rested his elbows on the countertop. "Cool! What do you want me to do?"

Cath handed the mixing bowl to Nick. "You can be on egg duty. I'll work the griddle." As Nick took the bowl, the fork slid underneath the gooey mess of eggs. "Ew, now you have to dig out the fork." A smug smile took over her face, glad to have assigned herself to handling the eggs once they were cooked and not in their slimy, raw state.

Nick reached into the bowl and pulled out the fork with both his thumb and index finger. With a grin on his face, he cornered Cath up against the counter while wiggling his fingers in front of her face, egg-y goo threatening to drip onto her. "What? You think this is funny?" he joked.

Even though Cath shrunk away from his hand, she couldn't help but laugh. "Ew, that's gross. Get it away from me," she said while giggling. She reached for his wrist and pushed it away from her, but Nick pushed against her, getting dangerously close to her face. When his hand was only as few inches away from her right cheek, Cath ducked underneath his arm and ran across the length of the kitchen where she planned on seeking shelter behind the table. As she did, Nick lunged at her and managed to wipe some egg on her arm.

"Nick!" Cath screeched. "You're disgusting."

She lunged for the silverware drawer, threw it open, and grabbed the first utensil she came across – a spoon. After dipping it in the bowl, she ran up to Nick and jumped so that she could reach the top of his head and rubbed the egg into his hair. "There. How d'ya like that?" she stepped back admiring her handiwork before having to duck behind the kitchen table for cover as Nick sent a small handful of the egg flinging across the room in her direction.

"It's so on!" he shouted and went back for more ammo.

Cath crouched beneath the table – her castle was under siege and all she could do was wait out the attack. But her defenses didn't last for long. Nick pulled out one of the chairs and crawled under after her, so Cath took her opportunity and took off towards the egg bowl. Keeping it close to her against her stomach and wrapping her arms around it for protecting she laughed at Nick, "Looks like I have the advantage now."

Just as soon as Cath uttered those words, an evil glint appeared in his eyes. "I wouldn't be so sure." He knocked the bowl upwards and the egg splashed into Cath's face.

She narrowed her eyes at him and tried to give him the evil eye as she spit a bit out of her mouth. "You _jerk_!" Her straight face didn't last for long before she burst out laughing.

"What the _hell_ are you guys doing?" Levi came around the corner and surveyed the mess in the room. Egg was everywhere – dripping from the walls, in puddles on the floor, in Nick's hair, covering Cath's face. He couldn't even guess what had happened and just shook his head, perplexed.

"Get Levi!" Cath shouted.

"No, really, that's fine," Levi said, starting to leave, but he was too slow. Cath rubbed a slimy hand across his face. Instead of laughing like Cath had hoped, his face clouded over and she backed away from him. "Shouldn't you clean this up?" he shot and left the room. Cath's smile fell, her joyful mood ruined.

"What wrong with him?" Nick commented.

Cath shrugged. "He's not exactly a morning person." But Levi _was_ a morning person. In fact, he was always happy all the time. What had gotten into him?

She handed a sponge to Nick. "Let's start cleaning all this up." He nodded and they got to work, scrubbing up the egg.

* * *

"What's wrong, Levi?" Cath asked as she sat down next to Levi on the edge of Wren's bed where it looked as if he had been brooding and placed her hand on his knee.

"What do you mean?" Levi asked. "I'm fine."

"No. You're not. You don't seem as… easy-going as you usually are. I know something's bothering you. What is it?" Cath looked up into Levi's eyes, trying to search for an answer and desperately hoping that he would tell her.

He ran a hand through his usually messy blonde hair, making it stick up in the front even more than it had before. "I just… don't think that you should be acting so friendly to Nick."

Cath scrunched her eyebrows together. "But why? He's…" Her face relaxed as the realization hit her. "Please don't tell me you're getting jealous."

Levi just stared straight ahead without responding.

Cath let out a long breath. "Look. Levi. I'm really sorry that I made you feel that way and you have a right to be angry at Nick after what he tried at the bowling lane, but we're just friends now. You know that I would never let anything happen between us. Don't you trust me, Levi?"

"I do. It's just – _damn it_, I'm no good at feeling – that guy still gives me the creeps. I have this sense that I should be almost protecting you against him. Could you just do me a favor and stay away from him?"

Cath gave Levi a small smile. "If that's what you want, I'll do it. But we're living in the same house. I'm still going to have to see him. A lot. But I'll – I'll keep my distance."

Levi wrapped his arms around Cath and kissed her on the top of her head. "I guess that makes me feel a little better."

Hidden from his view, Cath let her smile fall all too easily. Why didn't Levi see that she and Nick were just friends? Why couldn't he leave her to her own judgment about how to handle the situation? It was as if Levi wanted her on a leash that got kept getting shorter and shorter as time went on.

But for Levi, though, it was all worth it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII**

The harsh ringing of the telephone cut through the silence of the night hours, waking Cath from her slumber. She vaguely registered the rustle of sheets and her dad's footsteps from the adjacent room as he slowly got up to pick up the phone. What time was it, anyway? Cath rolled over in her bed and turned on her clock's light. Two thirty-five. Who would call at this inhumanly hour? Her interest further piqued, she strained to make out what her father was saying through the kitchen phone, a floor beneath her.

"Uh-huh," her dad, muttered. "Uh-huh…okay…of course…right away." The dialogue was cut off and the phone was thrown back down to its usual place on the kitchen table. Cath silently cursed to herself. There simply was not enough information for her to make any conclusions about.

The house's door slammed shut and her family's car's headlights lit up the driveway as it peeled out of the garage and down her street. What was up? If this had been a novel, Cath knew that she would have believed that there was some sort of deep, dark secret that he was acting upon – anything that happened this early in the morning had to be mysterious – but this was her dad that she was talking about. He was just about the least likely person that she knew to become some sort of secret spy, so Cath discounted that idea and smiled to herself. It was late enough that her thoughts stopped making any sense to her anymore, so she laid her head back on her pillow and promptly fell back asleep. This mystery could always be solved later on.

* * *

"Cath. Cath?" Levi called while shaking her shoulders back and forth. "Cath, wake up already!"

"What is it?" she groaned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. How had this happened that she had slept later than Levi? She was usually up and ready hours before him. And had worked out well – he hadn't once seen her early morning Yeti look… until now.

Levi held up a white slip of paper in front of her face. "Your dad left this."

Cath tried to read the writing on it, but her vision was still blurry and everything was too bright, so she couldn't make out any actual letters. "What is it?"

"It's a note."

Cath narrowed her eyes at Levi. "Yes, I can see that, but what does it say?"

Levi sighed and sat next to her on the side of her bed. "I- I don't want to have to explain it. Sounds like there's some pretty bad news. About Nick's parents." He placed the piece of paper down on top of the blankets that covered Cath's lap. "Just read it yourself."

After blinking quickly a few times, Cath's eyes were adjusted enough to the light in her room to be able to look at the white of the paper. "_Cath + Levi_," her dad had written. "_When you wake up, I will be at the hospital with Nick. The doctor just called and said that they almost lost his mother. It sounds like she's in real bad shape. I plan on staying there for most of the day to help Nick get through this. It would be nice if you could come to give him a little extra support since you three have become such great friends over the past three days. Help yourselves to anything you want to eat. Love, Dad._"

Cath's face fell as she read the words. Her mind jumped back to the fall of her third grade year when she had lost her own mother. Even though she hadn't passed away, it had seemed like that to Cath and Wren. It had seemed as if she had fallen off of the face of the Earth. Just like Nick, she wouldn't see her again. _No_, Cath scolded herself. She couldn't think like that. There was still hope. Nick's mother wasn't lost quite yet. She could still pull through. She _would_ make it.

"So. We have the entire day to ourselves. What are we gonna do?" Levi asked. Cath wished that she could wipe that stupid grin off of Levi's face. How could he make light of a situation as grave as this one? How could he ignore the weight of it? She threw open her dresser drawer and snatched a pair of shorts and a tank top out of it.

"We're going to go to the hospital and be there for Nick," Cath snapped.

Levi chuckled. "How come you're getting all buddy-buddy with Nick? I don't understand. It's not your obligation to be with him every step of the way. He can handle himself. Come on, let's have fun today."

"You're just jealous," Cath spat and slammed shut the top drawer of her dresser.

"Jealous? Me? Never," Levi scoffed.

"You so are. You just don't want me around him; that's what."

"Well, based off of what you've told me, I think he's dangerous."

"_Dangerous_? I'm not going to the hospital to cheat on you or anything," Cath exploded. "I'm going there because I know what Nick is going through. I know what it feels like to lose your mother and I need to give him some extra support. Not because it's my _obligation_, but because it's the decent thing to do."

"I still don't like it…"

Why did Levi not drop the subject? How did he think that it was a good idea at all to continue this argument that he would inevitably lose? "_God_, Levi. Don't you get it?"

"No. Cath. Don't _you _get it? He's trying to take you away from me – that's all there is. Now you'd better stay away from him or…"

"I wish I had never told you about him," Cath muttered under her breath, crossing her arms and looking down at the floor.

Levi stopped to let her words sink in. "…What?"

"I wish I had never told you about him," Cath repeated, louder this time. "You know what? I wish you had never come here at all. All you've done is make me feel like _shit_ this entire time. Like _I'm_ the one in the wrong. Like _I've_ been the one that's screwed this whole thing up. Like it's all _my_ fault."

"Cath…" Levi whispered, concern covering his face. "I – I didn't…"

Cath wrapped her hands around her stomach as if she had a stomach ache and kept her eyes glued to her feet that were shuffling around where she stood. "How about you just… leave. Okay?" Her voice came out like a whimper, filled with hurt.

Levi's mouth opened as if he was going to say something, but he closed it as he thought the better of it. "Okay… okay. I'll just… go. If that's what you want." He kept nodding as he made his way across the bedroom to his suitcase, hurriedly threw all of his belongings into it, and then started dragging it to the door. From the hallway, he turned around to look back at Cath. "Are you… are you breaking up with me?"

Cath slowly shook her head. "I don't think so… I just. I guess I just need to be alone…"

Levi nodded and then he was gone.

Cath sank onto her bed and covered her face with her hands. At first the tears stung, but then they came easier. Tear after fat tear rolled down her cheeks and dripped off the point of her chin onto her shirt, leaving soaked splotches. She tried to dry her face with the palm of her hand, but it was too wet and she only managed to smear them, making the tears cover even more area. She hadn't cried this much in forever.

What had she been thinking, sending Levi away just like that? Cath searched and searched within herself as she sat there, staring at the blurry distance in front of her, but was unable to find an answer. It had been a spur of the moment kind of action, but somehow, she knew that it had been the correct one to make. Just as much as she wanted Levi back now, she wanted to see him get lost in the middle of a desert, or even better: have him go through seeing his own parents die before his eyes. Cath shook her head. _No_. She couldn't think like that – it was almost evil to do so.

* * *

The hospital felt just as unfriendly as she had remembered it; the air was a few degrees too cold, the rooms too clean, and it smelled like hand sanitizer everywhere.

"Dad," Cath said, sitting down in a chair next to him in the waiting room. "How's Nick doing?"

"Cath! I'm so glad you came." Her dad looked up from the magazine that he was reading and set it down on his lap. "There's been some pretty bad news. It has become more and more of a struggle for the doctors to keep his parents alive."

Cath's hand flew to cover her mouth.

"They're only getting weaker with each passing day. It sounds as if they are fighting a losing battle."

"And Nick? How's he handling all this?" Cath asked.

"He's a strong kid. He's keeping it together for now."

"Do you think that I could see him? Or would now not be a good time?"

"I'm sure he would welcome some company." Cath's dad paused. "Levi's not coming?"

Cath shrugged and gave him a small smile. "He had to go back home." She got up and exited the waiting room before her dad could question her further. Boy troubles were not anything that she cared to discuss with him.

When Cath got to the proper room she lightly knocked twice on the door, even though it was already open.

"Cath?" Nick said when she walked in. The bags under his eyes weighed down heavily and Cath could spot a few tears that glistened under the room's lighting.

"Hi, Nick," she whispered, walking over to stand next to him at the feet of his parents' beds. "How… how are you?"

"I'm…" Nick tried to give Cath a small smile, but he couldn't bring himself to lift up the corners of his mouth that far. He gestured to his mom and his dad. "Well… you know."

Cath nodded and didn't say any more. There was nothing that she could have said. She just let the silence envelop them.

Then Nick's shoulders fell, then rose and fell. A sob escaped out of his mouth. As his face screwed up tightly, he tried to cover it with one of his hands, but it was no use. Cath knew. She knew all of the hurt, all of the pain, all of the sorrow that he was going through. It was only natural.

"They're going to make, you'll see. Everything is going to work out in the end." Cath reached out for his free hand and held it between her own, squeezing it to give him comfort.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX**

The jarring vibrating of Cath's phone sent her heart racing as she reached over to pick it up off of her bed. Could it be? Had Levi finally texted her? Had he forgiven her for sending him away so abruptly? Her heart sank as she saw the name as she opened the message – it was just Wren.

"Tell Dad that I'm only fifteen minutes away. See ya soon!" Cath read.

Who was she kidding? Why would Levi text her? She couldn't think of any reason why he would ever want to talk to her again. She was just some bitchy little girl. Cath sighed and sank back down onto her bed. They shouldn't have even dated in the first place. There was no way that this could have worked. This only gave more strength to her fears that the two of them just weren't meant to be. Levi was older, he went to parties, and Cath was the kind of girl that stayed in her dorm room on Friday nights. Alone. And she had thought that she needed space while Levi didn't. She had wanted time by herself. Alone.

Cath hurled her cellphone across her room at her dresser, and then fell backwards down onto her bed again. Why was the thought of Levi tormenting her so? Why did she have to cringe every time his name passed through her mind? She kept telling herself that she shouldn't feel so bad about making him go, but that part of herself just wouldn't listen. Somewhere inside of her, there was a larger part screaming back at her, saying that she was still in love with Levi – that she needed to drop everything that she was doing, start her car, drive over to him, and wrap her arms around him, telling him how much she missed him and how sorry she was.

Maybe she should text Levi. Maybe he was just waiting to hear from her first. She opened up a blank text and began typing. "Hey, Levi. Sorry about having you leave like that." No. That just didn't sound right. It wouldn't work. She held down the backspace button until the text was blank again. Maybe she should just call him.

"Cath?" her dad called from downstairs, jerking her out of her thoughts. "Are you almost ready?"

Cath jumped up from her bed and smoothed out all of the wrinkles on the skirt of the black dress that she was wearing. "Yep. I'll be right down." She threw her phone back onto her bed before leaving her bedroom. That call would have to wait. There was nothing she could do about it now.

"You're looking nice," Cath commented to Nick and her father as she entered the living room, seeing them both dressed in a suit and tie.

"Thank you. You're looking nice as well." A feeble smile wavered onto Nick's face, like he was altogether unsure of it, before disappearing into blank, all-too-straight face. Cath knew that look. It was the same look she had worn throughout her third grade year – the look she had worn when she was about to burst into tears, but she knew that she couldn't let anyone see her cry. Cath reached down and squeezed Nick's hand, just like she had back in the hospital room.

"You're going to get through this, okay?" she whispered.

Nick nodded and Cath could see tears glistening in the bottom corners of his eyes. "I wish my dad could be here. He would have liked to say goodbye to her."

Cath wished that she could have said something – anything – that would have made him feel better, but there was nothing she could have done. His mother was dead. And his father was in a coma. Right now, words seemed powerless against emotion. "I know," she whispered. "I know."

"Where's Wren?" Cath's dad asked, taking a peek at his wristwatch. "She'd better not make us late to the funeral."

"She texted me a few minutes ago; she's almost here," Cath said. It was quite a relief that her dad had made Wren come back home. Her sister had managed to get out of hanging around the house while Nick was staying while Cath had to deal with living with her new company by herself. Now that Cath would have her twin at her side, the funeral hadn't seemed quite so daunting anymore. While Nick would be off talking to relatives that Cath didn't know, and while her dad would be receiving thanks for being so kind to let Nick into their house, Cath would have someone of her own to talk to.

The front door flew open and Wren rushed in. "Sorry I'm late. Got into a bit of traffic with the morning rush hour and all." She walked further into the living room, giving Alejandro space to walk in with her luggage. "You can just drop my bags in here. We can move them later."

Cath's shoulders drooped a little. Why hadn't she foreseen that Wren would bring Alejandro? Wren had needed Alejandro to give her a ride home, so she should have expected that he would stay just a little bit longer for the ceremony. Now that Wren had her boyfriend, she was back to being left all alone. Shouldn't she be glad, though? That's exactly what she had wanted when she had sent Levi away.

She missed him. She missed him so much.

Alejandro stepped over to Cath and Wren's dad and shook his hand. "Hello, Mr. Avery. I'm Alejandro. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Alejandro," Cath's dad responded as Wren made her way over to Nick.

"Both Alejandro and I are very sorry about your mother," Wren said.

Cath couldn't help but to feel bitter. Curse Wren and her ability to find words that always fit the proper mood. It was times like this when Cath began to doubt why she had become the star FanFixx author while Wren hadn't.

The room fell silent until their dad clapped his hands loudly, breaking it. "Let's get going. Shall we?" he said, motioning towards the door. "Don't want to be later than we already are."

* * *

The warm summer sunlight beat down on Cath's shoulders as she passed by Nick's mother's coffin. Just like the numerous people before her, she reached over it and placed a single red rose on its top. Somewhere off in the distance, the music of a lone bagpipe player drifted over from another ceremony to the throng of people that surrounded this one. When the player stopped, the air seemed to stand still. It was eerily silent.

And then the priest started chanting again. "Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name…" with each word the people around Cath muttered, she could feel a new pang in her heart. Even though she had not known Nick's mother, Nick had and Cath knew Nick. She looked up at the boy and the pain she saw in his eyes was almost too much for her to handle. The harsh sting of tears began to tug at the corners of her eyes and the world around her began to smear as her eyes welled up. She screwed her eyes shut and forced herself to look back down at the ground. Not here. She couldn't cry here. Nick had been strong even though he had experienced much more loss than Cath had ever had to go through. She had to be as strong as Nick, she told herself. She had to.

It took Cath a while to realize that the people around her were slowly filtering away. "I'll be waiting in the car," Cath's dad said before he turned to leave the grave site. "Let Nick know that he can take as long as he needs."

Cath looked back towards Nick as he moved closer to the coffin and kneeled down in front of it. Draping one arm over the top, he rested his head on top of its lid. Now that he was almost alone, his stoic expression had crumbled and his face screwed up as tears spilled down his cheeks.

Glancing around her, Cath realized that she was alone. All of the funeral-goers had already taken off in their cars. There was no one left to comfort Nick. With a pang, Cath realized that that job had fallen on her. She crept towards Nick uncertainly. What was she going to do? What would she say to him? At the sound of her approaching footsteps, Nick lifted his head off of the metal casing. "Cath. I can't do it. I just can't let go," he said with a tortured look.

Cath shut her eyes and knelt down on the ground next to him. "I'm not going to say that I know what you're going through or that I can relate. Well, maybe I can. In a sense. But not like that. I kinda know how you're feeling. But not exactly." Cath took a deep breath. She was rambling and she needed to stop before she made things worse. She lifted her hands up onto the coffin's lid and picked up a rose. "I'm going to tell you a story." That's what Cath was good at. She could do that, at least. When she continued her voice was almost a whisper. "I was only eight years old when she left – my mother, that is. Wren and I were only in third grade. I guess she just got tired of us. Of being in a family. When I came home from school that day, I had thought my parents were upset because earlier that day, the Twin Towers had been hit by airplanes, but that was not the case. My father told Wren and me to wait out in the backyard and we did. We sat there on the back stoop for an hour, holding on to one another while we heard their fighting and their shouts. Neither of us said a word. When we came back into the house, our mother was gone.

"I was very upset after that day, although I tended to keep it in. After Wren and I had a few incidences at school, my father decided to take us to a psychiatrist. It's terrible to have to lose a parent and although I didn't have my mother pass away, she was as good as dead to us. She never answered our calls, never wrote us. It was as if she had fallen off of the face of the planet." Cath paused and looked over to Nick. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through this, but you're stronger than I am. You _can_ do it. Moving on is not forgetting – I'm sure that's what your mother would have wanted for you."

Nick sent Cath a warm, although weak, smile. "Thanks."

Cath nodded. "I'll leave you alone now." She stood up and as she brushed the dirt from her knees, a movement further down the cemetery's road caught her eye. A figure, dressed in a suit, strolled towards her, his hands shoved into his pockets and his gait familiar. Cath squinted into the sunlight, but she could only make out his outline. As he approached, his hair became more distinct until she knew for sure. There was only one person she had known with hair that stuck up in that same disheveled look.

Cath's eyebrows knitted together in the middle and her tongue stopped still while it was forming the letter "L". It didn't even make sense. He couldn't be here. Not now. There was no way he would have known about the funeral.

He was only meters away when he stepped into the shadow of a tree. Once Cath saw his face, she broke into a run, quickly closing the distance between the two of them. Forget the impossibility of him being here, he _was here_. And that was all that mattered. Her arms reached out to wrap around his middle, but then she quickly brought them back down to her side, remembering what had happened between them. Cath's gaze fell to the ground. "Levi, I'm – I'm so…"

"So sorry?" Levi finished for her. "Me too."

Cath could only nod, but even that caused Levi to break into a huge grin and he held his arms out wide open. "Oh, come here," he said as Cath gave him a hug, he pulled her into a tight, crushing embrace.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," Cath kept saying into his shoulder. His tall, warm, lanky shoulder. Cath was surprised at just how much she had missed even that.

"Don't be. _I'm_ the one who should be the most sorry." Levi put his hands on Cath's shoulders and backed her away from him so that he could look at her in the eyes. "I was being quite a dick back then. I don't know what had even gotten into me. I admit; even I would have wanted to get away from me if I were in your position. If you'll forgive me, I promise to stop acting so jealous towards you and Nick."

Cath squeezed him back. "Of course I forgive you, Levi! I never even really wanted you to leave. The moment you were gone, I started to miss you. Just… why are you here? I mean, how did you know about the funeral?"

"Your dad sent me an invitation, thought that I should come pay my respects. It looks like I'm a little too late, though." Her dad? Cath almost laughed to herself. She knew that it wouldn't be any day that she could say that he had saved her relationship.

"Yeah, you _are_ a bit late, but Nick's still over there." Cath nodded to where Nick was still crouched in front of his mother's coffin.

"Thank you." As Levi strode over to Nick, Cath wondered if she should have really let Levi approach Nick by himself, but then she cleared her head of that thought. Levi wouldn't start a graveside fight. He was too respectful for that and the expression that he wore didn't give away any ulterior motives. In fact, Cath thought that this was the first time that she had seen Levi wear a soft expression without his usual joking smirk – and it looked good on him.

Cath watched as the two boys shook hands and exchanged a few words. When Levi patted Nick on the shoulder, she thought that her heart would explode from happiness. That was what she had always wanted – for her boyfriend to get along with her friends.

All was forgiven, she hoped.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter X**

Throughout the Avery household, not a single sound was heard. For the first time since he had gotten there, Nick was lounging on the living room's couch with the television off and there was no more clacking of Cath's fingertips on her laptop's keyboard that had been miraculously left in her bedroom.

Levi had returned back to help his family on their ranch hours ago and feeling too lonely, she had found herself wandering from her bedroom to find some company. There in the living room, she had found Wren and Nick perched on opposite sides of the couch. Cath had sat down in between the two of them without muttering so much as even a "hi" or giving them a friendly nod of the head. It wasn't as if they would have noticed if she had – Wren was engrossed with her phone, and Nick had fixated his attention on one of the room's four walls.

It was the perfect place for moping.

If Cath hadn't been so focused on missing Levi, she would have found the room's silence to be stifling. Instead, she was glad for its comforting, familiar feel. She only hoped that Nick wasn't tormenting himself while being lost in his own thoughts.

When Wren's phone beeped loudly, it was all Cath could do to stop herself from jumping out of her seat.

"Come on," Wren said after reading the text that she had just received. "We're getting out of this house. I can't _stand_ all of this depression anymore."

"I'm not depressed," Cath protested, her gaze traveling upwards to follow Wren as she stood up from the couch.

Wren rolled her eyes. "Cath, you're projecting boredom." She glanced back down at her phone. "Anyway, we have a party to go to. Nick too, if you want to come."

"A party? For what?" Cath asked.

"Haven't you heard? Everyone's getting together. And I don't know what for. Parties don't always have to have a reason… I guess just to see each other again."

Cath snorted. Of course she hadn't heard. No one from High school ever sent her the texts when they wanted to hang out. It was always Wren who got the news and it was assumed that if Wren came, Cath would come along with. She had always thought that they were kind of a package deal, but ever since coming back from college, Cath had begun to realize that she had always been more like the fifth wheel in her group of friends; she wasn't needed, but since she was attached to the vehicle, they accepted her anyway.

"Just go without me. I don't feel like going out today," Cath said with a shrug.

Wren rolled her eyes. "I didn't ask you if you wanted to go. You're going whether you feel like it or not. These are your best friends. You haven't hung out with them in _months_. Don't you want to see them again?"

_My best friends?_ Cath echoed in her head. Back then, she had only had one best friend. That person just happened to be her sister as well. Yes, a little part of her missed that crowd that she had hung out with, but Cath could help question why they had never once in the past year called her up, emailed her, or talked with her in any way. They obviously had better things to do than talk to her then, so why would they want to catch up with her now?

"Yeah, I guess," Cath heard herself mumble. As if she had a choice? Wren would probably drag her out of the house by her ankles if she didn't go voluntarily.

Wren flashed Cath a grin. "Perfect! Nick, you coming too?"

Nick only shrugged and continued staring with a dejected look on his face.

Cath could see Wren's face visibly soften. "Look," she said, "I know you're really sad right now, but it would do you good to do something other than stare at walls all day. Once you get out, I'm sure you'll cheer up."

"No, really. It's fine. I'll be fine. I'm gonna stay here," Nick said.

Cath grimaced. "Wrong move," she muttered to herself.

Just as she predicted, Wren reached over to Nick, latched her hand around his wrist, and yanked him up from the couch. "I'm afraid that I'm gonna have to revoke that choice from your list of options. You are going with us," Wren said, marching towards the garage, dragging a confused Nick in tow.

Cath sent a quick text to her Dad, who was still at work, and then dashed out of the house seconds behind the other two.

* * *

When Cath stepped into the house that the party was at – a friend of a friend's, named Ashley – she was not prepared for roar of noise that met her ears as the door opened. She had been expecting what Wren had described it as – a little get-together. Obviously, Wren's opinion of what a little get-together was had changed quite drastically. Everywhere on the first floor, on the staircase, and on the second floor, her previous classmates milled about, clutching red plastic cups and chattering animatedly while nodding along to the blaring music.

"In you go," Wren chirped, nudging Cath and Nick in ahead of her. Almost immediately, Cath lost Wren in the sea of people.

"So what now?" Cath turned around. Nick was still hanging around behind her.

She shrugged. "I really don't know. I don't usually come to these sorts of things."

"Reunions?"

"No. Parties."

Nick nodded. "Do you know anyone here?"

Cath searched the crowd. "Sure, I know people, but I don't _know_ them. Like, I'm sure that they won't recognize me anymore if I said anything to them."

Nick nodded again. Why couldn't he stop nodding? He was like one of those bobble-head toys that people stuck on the dashboard of their cars. "I'm going to go get something to drink."

"Terrific. I'm going to go…" Cath's response was lost as Nick disappeared into the crowd. "…do stuff."

As she scanned the room, Cath felt even more lost than she had before. As she tried to elbow her way through the people standing shoulder to shoulder, she discovered that she actually knew less of the people here than she had initially thought. They all couldn't be in her grade. There had to be some kids that were older or that had gone to a different High School. Sure, Cath's class had been large (almost three thousand kids), but she should have at least recognized most of the kids here. Especially after four full years of having classes in the same building as them.

A nagging feeling grew inside of her that everyone was watching her as she passed them, scrutinizing her every move, and criticizing her for looking so lost. _What's she doing here?_ Cath could imagine them thinking over and over again. Her breathing began to feel difficult and she began to look around for something to do that would keep her occupied, if only for a minute at least, and the heavy bass of the music kept pounding at her temples, but not in the good way that Kanye's music did when she needed it to brighten up her day – in the way that the music in suspense thrillers set her heart racing and got her adrenaline pumping. They were looking at her. All of the people. All of the people that were standing too close to her while staring her down. Cath tried to tell herself that she was being silly, but she plastered a smile to her face anyway although she was certain that her self-conscious attitude made it appear like a grimace – like she was in pain.

All things considered, Cath could as well have been.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the reflective surface of a mirror peering out through an open door. This time, the smile that Cath wore was genuine. A bathroom: her saving grace. Before anyone else could slip in, Cath ran towards it, not caring at all if she shoved anyone out of her way. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, already feeling twenty pounds lighter as her stress lifted up off of her shoulders. She sank to the floor and took out her phone from her pocket and powered up the games that she had thankfully thought to download onto it. She was going to be in here for the long haul.

* * *

Cath checked the small time in the upper right hand corner of her screen – only an hour had passed. Even though she had been somewhat entertained, it had seemed like an eternity. She opened up a blank text for Wren and started typing "Where are you? Ready to go yet?" but thought twice about it and held down the backspace key, deleting the message. Why would she ever think that Wren would be ready to go? Wren was never ready to go. She was always asking for just one more minute, one more hour, one more day….

If Cath left it up to Wren to make the call, she would be stuck in here forever.

She returned her attention to her game, but quickly lost interest again. She had already beaten most of the levels, and it had lost its novelty long ago. She opened up another blank text, this one for Levi.

"Hey"

Cath pressed send.

A few minutes later, her phone buzzed in her hand and Cath read the message.

"Hey to you too. ;) What's up?"

Cath's heart soared and a smile spread across her face. It was as if she had uncovered a little bit of Levi, canned in a jar that she had found in her pocket, his smile impeccably preserved.

"Oh, nothing much. Just missing you" Send. There was no way that Cath could tell him the truth – that she was hiding in a bathroom at a party so that she could avoid the pressures of having to find someone to interact with. She couldn't tell him that she was so awkward that she would rather hide than talk, especially in some place as _glamorous_ as a bathroom.

"You know, it's much nicer hearing your voice. Can I call you?" No. No, he couldn't. If he called her in here, someone on the other side of the door would hear and her cover would be blown.

"I actually can't talk anymore. Got to go eat." As soon as Cath sent the message, she regretted it. Using eating dinner as an excuse? It was only three o'clock in the afternoon – nowhere near dinnertime. She contemplating sending Levi a text, saying something to the extent that eating had just been a typo ("oops"), but what would be a more likely excuse. Her phone vibrated once before she had the opportunity to type anything.

"Alright. Talk to you later then?" Cath let out a sigh of relief. Levi had fallen for her terrible excuse.

She quickly typed back. "Yeah. I'll call you next time I get the chance." Cath wasn't sure if that sounded any better or if it fixed anything, but she sent the text anyway.

She didn't have any time to mull over her own awkwardness or to wallow in any self-pity before someone's fist rapped on the door. She froze. No one had ever before bothered her while she was in the bathroom. The closed door had always been left in peace.

"Um… occupied?" Cath said.

"Yeah, I get that. The door wouldn't be locked if it was empty. Now get out of there," the voice from outside shouted at her.

"Oh, okay. Sorry about that. One minute." Cath pocketed her phone, flushed the toilet so that it looked like she hadn't been just sitting in there, and washed her hands.

Her eyes down below the level for contact, she opened the door a crack and scampered out, muttering "sorry" to anyone who cared enough to be listening. Before the impatient person could say anything more to her, Cath allowed herself to be absorbed back into the crowd. For once, she was glad for the amount of people there. She threaded aimlessly between the people, but she stopped in her tracks when she saw them – the boy and girl on the couch, fingers intertwined in each other's hair, and lips locked.

"Wren? Nick? What the hell!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter XI**

Cath could only stare, her mouth agape, at the couple on the couch - the boy with his fingers intertwined in the girl's hair, and the girl with her lips attached to his. Nick and Wren, Cath had to keep telling herself. Her twin and her friend.

This could _not_ be happening.

But yet it was and the blatantly obvious evidence was staring her into the face, staring directly into her soul even.

"What the hell?!" Cath repeated. Wren couldn't be doing this. She couldn't have just forgotten about Alejandro like that. She couldn't have brushed him aside for Nick. Yes, Wren liked to move around from boy to boy a little too often, but she would never, ever cheat on her boyfriend. Had Wren and Alejandro broken up? Even so, she couldn't just go around kissing anybody she liked – especially Nick. He was a _guest_ at their house, in a family friend sort of way.

And besides, Nick liked Cath best.

"Cath," Wren drawled when she opened her eyes to see her twin standing in front of her. "You should really try some of those drinks that they have over there. I don't know what's in it, but it's _amazing_." She tried to sit up, but tilted a little to the side and ended up with her head being supported up on Nick's shoulder. With a small bit of satisfaction that almost made Cath smirk, she noticed that he seemed to look everywhere in the room except for at her. It served him right to feel awkward – after all, he had just been making out with her sister.

_How could Wren be so oblivious?_ Cath's mouth fell shut again until it was pursed in a straight line.

Cath sighed exasperatedly and placed a hand on her forehead as if she had a headache. "Wren, let's go."

"No…." Wren whined, sounding like she had back in third grade. "We can't go. I haven't seen all of my friends yet. I can't leave."

"I think you've seen enough of your friends. We're going. Now." Cath lunged for Wren's wrists and latched on to them before her twin had the change to move out of her way. "Nick?" Cath raised her eyebrows at Nick, hinting for him to help her out with getting Wren up out of the couch.

Keeping her eyes to the floor and trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible, Cath and Nick led Wren towards the door, but her loud complaining made that feat near impossible.

"Cath!" A loud screech came from behind them and moments later, Cath felt arms wrapping around her shoulders, hugging her from behind. "How are you?" Cath would have been glad to hear her friend's familiar voice at any other time other than this one. Right now, she needed to get Wren out of here and home.

"Hi Ashley. I'm good, how about you?" Cath said, turning around to give her a hug back.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were back in town?" Ashley demanded, brushing her perfectly straight brown bangs out of her eyes. Cath had always been so jealous of her hair as well as the rest of her friends whom she had always found to be much prettier than she was.

Because you never asked me, Cath thought to herself. She hadn't even wanted to get together with her old friends anyway. It was much too easy staying at home on her own – she had never even liked going out. But Cath couldn't tell Ashley that, so she put on a smile and laughed a little to pass it off. "Sorry I can't stay and catch up with you, but I have to leave. Wren's not feeling too well." Cath glanced back over her shoulder to see Wren slumped over onto Nick's shoulder once again.

Ashley ignored that and continued talking. "So how was your first year of college? Where did you go again?"

Cath smiled at her, weaker this time. Leave it up to her best friend to not remember her college. Of course, Ashley was the type of girl that had many other best friends' colleges that she needed to keep track of, and Cath was sure she wasn't too far up on her list of priorities.

To have a best friend, did the feeling have to be entirely mutual?

"It was great," Cath said as she started prodding Nick and Wren to move towards the door. "How about you?"

"Oh, it was absolutely perfect!" Ashley exclaimed and started to launch into her usual endless stream of chatter. Cath cursed herself for her stupidity. She had known Ashley for thirteen years – she should have known by now to never ask Ashley any questions if she needed to go anywhere quickly. "Okay, so there was this one time. My roommate, Sam, and I went over to the bookstore and -"

"I'm sorry Ashley, but I really need to go. How about we meet up some other time and catch up then, okay?" Cath said, cutting her off in midsentence.

"Oh…. Okay. Text me?"

"Of course." But Cath had no real intention of ever doing that. With her friends, she was never the one who sent the first text back in high school and she wouldn't be now. Most likely, Cath knew that she would just curl up on her bed and pretend to forget that this conversation had ever taken place – it would be easiest.

* * *

"You can't take me back home." Wren's protests had only gotten stronger after she had been shoved into the back seat of Cath's car.

"Why not?" Cath half-heartedly replied as she drove away from the spot where she had been parked on the curb.

"Because… because… I just can't go back home. Not yet," Wren slurred.

Cath sighed. "Wren, you can't go back to the party. There's no way. I told you – you're done."

"Okay, so no party. Just don't take me home."

"No. You need to go home and rest." Cath looked at Nick, hoping that he could help her shut up Wren. She wasn't good at this sort of thing – getting through to a drunken Wren. Back at UNL, Cath hadn't been around for that much and it had been Courtney's job, although Courtney was usually just as drunk. Nick only stared out of the side window and gave no sign of being willing to give any of his words of wisdom.

"Don't take me home…. I need to call Alejandro…." Wren began to dig into her pocket for her cellphone.

"Stop it, Wren. Don't call him drunk. You're only going to make a fool out of yourself." Cath tried to twist around to grab Wren's phone from her hand at the next stop sign, but the car behind her honked its horn in its impatience. "Nick, grab her phone."

"Hellooooo… Alejandroooo," Wren managed to sing into her phone before Nick was able to take it from her.

"Thanks," Cath said. Nick only shrugged his shoulders in reply.

Their car turned onto their block. "Turn around, turn around. Turn around. Don't go home, can't go home," Wren shouted.

"Why not? Wren? Why can't you go home? I'm not turning around until you tell me," Cath snapped.

Wren's shouting subsided at once. "I can't let him see me like this," she whispered.

"Who? Dad?"

"Uh-huh. I promised him I'd stop. He can't see me like this." Cath pulled into the driveway. "Caaaaaaath…. You _can't_."

"Oh, shut up, Wren. We're sneaking you in." Cath put the car into park and turned off the headlights before turning around to face both Nick and Wren. "Here's what we do: Nick and I will come into the house and tell Dad that you went out with a few friends for a dinner and will be back a little later. I'll get Dad down into the basement to watch a movie with me and Nick will want to stay upstairs and will put on a movie. Turn it up really loud, okay? So Dad doesn't hear Wren's footsteps. I'll text you, Wren, when you need to come in. No earlier, do you understand?" Wren nodded a couple of times. "Also, be careful when you come in. I don't want any falling over, tripping, or stomping, alright?" Cath got out of the car and Nick followed suit (quite quickly, Cath noticed).

A thrilled grin overtook her face; she felt like some sort of spy in a thriller novel.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys, just so you know, this week and the following week (hence the shorter chapter this time) is cram time before AP tests for me, so depending on how my studying is going I may or may not be able to post another chapter next week. I promise that I'm not disappearing – there will be many more chapters after my tests are over with. Thanks so much for staying with me through this so far. You guys are my favorite!

Good luck to anyone else who is taking AP tests and Happy Writing! ^.^


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